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How To Fix A Leaking Tap

Advice on repairing a leaking shower tap to save water and reduce household expenses

We show you how to repair a leaking shower tap to reduce wastage and save money.

"It doesn't matter where you are in your home, if you've got a dripping tap, you're going to hear it. It's going to drive you nuts, plus it's costing you money, and it's so easy to fix! Turn off the water at the mains, otherwise you're going to have water everywhere.

Check with your local water authority to find out whether you're allowed to work on the plumbing. Here’s a handy hint, cover the drain, that way if you drop anything you wont lose it.

The button on the tap should only be finger tight. If it isn’t you can give it a hand with a spanner. As you pull it all off, hold it tight, as there might be a spring inside and slide it away.

To get this out you could use a shifter but I’m going to use a ring spanner. There could still be some water trapped above the tap between the shower head. It wont be much, just let it come away.

Now I have the body of the tap, I can change the washer. If you’re going to change one washer, you may as well change all three.

The main tap washer just pulls straight out. The body washer, we can just screw that off. To get down to the o-ring on the spindle, just screw need to screw the body off the spindle and it exposes the o-ring. Get a screwdriver and just prise the o-ring and squeeze it off.

Once it’s off we can put on the new. I’ll squeeze the o-ring until it sits correctly on the spindle. Before I put it back in the body, I’m going to apply some lubrication. Screw the spindle back into the body until they’re both flush. Then get the large body washer, slip that on, then slip in the new tap washer and it’s ready to go back into the wall.

Spin it anticlockwise a few times until you find the thread and then screw it all the way in finger tight, and finish it off with the ring spanner.

Now remember that tap is in the on position so you’ll have to turn it off before you turn the water back on at the mains. The taps off and hey presto, no drips.”